Plant bacteria breakthrough enables crops worldwide to take nitrogen from the air

August 1, 2013

Dr Philip Stone from The University of Nottingham tending to the plants undergoing the atmospheric nitrogen fixation trials (credit: The University of Nottingham)

The University of Nottingham scientists have developed a new technology that would enable all of the world’s crops to take nitrogen from the air, instead of requiring expensive and environmentally damaging fertilizers.

Nitrogen fixation, the process by which nitrogen is converted to ammonia, is vital for plants to survive and grow. However, only a very small number of plants, most notably legumes (such as peas, beans and lentils) have the ability to fix (use) nitrogen from the atmosphere, with the help of nitrogen fixing bacteria.

The vast majority of plants have to obtain nitrogen from the soil, and for most crops currently being grown across the world, this also means reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.

Adding nitrogen-fixing bacteria to roots

Professor Edward Cocking, Director of The University of Nottingham’s Centre for Crop Nitrogen Fixation, has developed a unique method of putting nitrogen-fixing bacteria into the cells of plant roots.

His major breakthrough came when he found a specific strain of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in sugar cane known as G. diazotrophicus could intracellularly colonize all major crop plants.

This ground-breaking development potentially provides every cell in the plant with the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. The implications for agriculture are enormous, as this new technology can provide much of the plant’s nitrogen needs, he suggests.

Known as N-Fix, the method is neither genetic modification nor bioengineering. It is based on naturally occurring nitrogen fixing bacteria that take up and use nitrogen from the air.

Applied to the cells of plants via the seed, it provides every cell in the plant with the ability to fix nitrogen. Plant seeds are coated with these bacteria to create a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship and naturally produce nitrogen.

N-Fix is a natural nitrogen seed coating that provides a sustainable solution to fertilizer overuse and nitrogen pollution. It is environmentally friendly and can be applied to all crops.

Over the last 10 years, The University of Nottingham has conducted a series of extensive research programs which have established proof of principle the technology in the laboratory, growth rooms and glasshouses.

Nitrate pollution

A leading world expert in nitrogen and plant science, Professor Cocking has long recognized that there is a critical need to reduce nitrogen pollution caused by nitrogen based fertilizers. Nitrate pollution is a major problem as is also the pollution of the atmosphere by ammonia and oxides of nitrogen.

In addition, nitrate pollution is a health hazard and also causes oxygen-depleted “dead zones” in our waterways and oceans. A recent study estimates that that the annual cost of damage caused by nitrogen pollution across Europe is £60 billion to £280 billion.

Professor Cocking said: “Helping plants to naturally obtain the nitrogen they need is a key aspect of world food security.

“The world needs to unhook itself from its ever increasing reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers produced from fossil fuels with its high economic costs, its pollution of the environment and its high energy costs.”

Making N-Fix available worldwide

Professor Ted Cocking from University of Nottingham with a plant grown using nitrogen fixation N Fix technology (credit: University of Nottingham)

The N-Fix technology has been licensed by The University of Nottingham to Azotic Technologies Ltd to develop and commercialise N-Fix globally on its behalf for all crop species.

Peter Blezard, CEO of Azotic Technologies added: “Agriculture has to change and N-Fix can make a real and positive contribution to that change.

It has enormous potential to help feed more people in many of the poorer parts of the world, while at the same time, dramatically reducing the amount of synthetic nitrogen produced in the world.”

Azotic is now working on field trials to produce robust efficacy data. This will be followed by seeking regulatory approval for N-Fix initially in the UK, Europe, USA, Canada and Brazil, with more countries to follow. It is anticipated that the N-Fix technology will be commercially available within the next two to three years.

The University of Nottingham’s Plant and Crop Sciences Division is internationally acclaimed as a centre for fundamental and applied research, underpinning its understanding of agriculture, food production and quality, and the natural environment. It also has one of the largest communities of plant scientists in the UK.

Abstract of “Intracellular colonization of roots of Arabidopsis and crop plants by Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus” paper

We have investigated the interaction of Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, a non-nodulating endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from the intercellular spaces of sugarcane, with Arabidopsis thaliana and the crop plants maize (Zea mays), rice (Oryza sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), oilseed rape (Brassica napus), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), and white clover (Trifolium repens). Using seedlings grown aseptically in sucrose-containing culture media, we have shown that inoculation with very low numbers of G. diazotrophicus results in extensive intracellular colonization of root meristems and progressive systemic intracellular root colonization. Light microscopic examination of thin sections of resin-embedded root tips of Arabidopsis and these crop plants inoculated with β-glucuronidase (GUS)-labeled and with NifH promoter-GUS-labeled G. diazotrophicus showed blue-stained G. diazotrophicus within the cytoplasm of root cells, indicating that intracellular conditions were suitable for nitrogenase gene expression. Electron microscopy confirmed that these bluestained intracellular G. diazotrophicus were within membrane-bounded vesicles. We discuss whether these novel inoculations with G. diazotrophicus are likely to enable non-nodular endosymbiotic nitrogen fixation and whether these inoculations can also provide a plant system to investigate the endosymbiotic theory of the origin of eukaryotic organelles.

Comments (33)

examine the genus Elaeagnus . It is a nonlegume plant genus that fixes nitrogen, possibly via a different method than the symbiotic relationship that legumes have with the bacteria Rhizobia.

One of the species of Elaeagnus is Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) . It was planted widely for land reclamation on mining sites during the 1930s as one of FDR’s socialist make work projects. And now it is an ecological nightmare, much like everything else FDR did. It is considered an invasive species in North America, including Canada. It can grow pretty much anywhere and vigorously. It has suckering rhizomes, and birds transmit the seeds of its fruit. It very difficult to eradicate because of its rhizomes and thorny, tough wood. It is also resistant to many herbicides.

It might be possible that weeds would undergo an adaptation as a result of becoming inoculated with this nitrogen bacteria. In due course, these mutated weeds produce their seed, which get distributed by birds, insects and animals. And then the whole world is a jungle of weeds. And just wait until the cockroaches eat the seeds of these weeds. If you think your favorite pub serves its greasy mixed-grill platter from a filthy kitchen now, well you ain’t seen nothing yet.

It is one thing to apply nitrogen fertilizer and something very different to alter biology and micro-ecology with the intention of providing nitrogen.

Incidentally, it was the advent of nitrogen fertilizer not that many decades ago that allowed farmers to switch from buckwheat to wheat. Buckwheat is much better for the environment as it does not require heavy use of herbicides and pesticides because it has a very quick and short growth cycle. Whereas wheat sits in the field for months and is particularly susceptible to rusts and weed competition. And also, buckwheat provides food for pollinators, which are in short supply these days thanks to microbiology’s ingenious pesticides and GMO crops. Also, buckwheat is very nutritious for humans. ….. So, you need to consider that with this new method of nitrogen, farmers will be planting new crops. This will affect the environment in unforeseen ways.

What the London bankers haven’t already destroyed, the UK Doctor Moreau will.

Here’s a quote from a different article on the same subject:
“This technology comes at a cost of about 2% of a typical farm nitrogen fertiliser bill, and would also cut fertiliser transportation costs, he says.”
That is very encouraging, I like it when they’ve done the math, hopefully
they did it right, right?

Seems tremendous and has the potential to rake in billions for the company that sells it. But then the thought hits me – what prevents these bacterial from migrating to every plant around them? Microorganisms have a way of doing this you know. If this happens, better pull your money out of the shares of this company.

If these bacteriae could migrate to every plant nearby just like that, they would be everywhere by now. Besides, what would happen, if they did? The weeds would get nitrogen as well, just as they do now, when we use fertilizer. Unwanted, but not a direct disaster.
On a longer timescale (years) wild plants sensitive to overfertilization (correct term?) might get so threatened by competition by other self-fertilizing wild plants that they get to the brink of extinction. I hope this bacteria can’t survive winters, for example, and the seeds will need to be treated, in order for it to work as intended. That would make it a safe method.

Sucrose in sugar cane seems to be a denser easier to use energy source for this bacteria, than the regular chemicals in plants. One might have the same bacteria already in something like sugar beets. I suspect most plants have almost no free sugar floating around. Also the growing season in the tropics would be continuous allowing a sustained bacterial colony, while in the higher latitudes growing conditions are seasonal, with die-offs each year.

Excellent point about the growing season, I live in Honduras, Central America, and I have some sugar cane here on my property, I wonder if it has the same bacteria, a different one, or none at all. To bad there isn’t an educated person within 50 miles of here that I could ask. Oh well, it’s cheap here and the girls are hot. The growing season here is 12 months of the year and the coldest it ever gets in January is about 60F. I haven’t worn long pants in 7 years, since I left the US.

As I understand the article, the bacteria are naturally occurring on Brazilian sugar canes. They take a little work to get them to attach themselves and inseminate other plants, thus the 10 years they’ve been working on the project. Also, even if the weeds were to get “infected” they would serve a similar purpose that planting alfalfa between corn harvests to get more nitrogen into the soil, it could be a good thing.
I’m still skeptical of the whole story, this is a revolutionary advance and should have been on the news worldwide all day everywhere, something must not be quite right?

99% of people who don’t work in farming doesn’t give a rat’s ass about it, despite the fact, that it produces almost all their food. Therefore, this isn’t top news to most news agencies, just ho-hum science (meaning boring) news that you can put in somewhere, where you have a place to fill. Farmers, to whom this is world-class news, have their own newspapers and professionals journals.

As a farmer, this is the kind of news that has me on the edge of the seat. I know perfectly well that the N-Fix isn’t going to be free, but it can cost a pretty penny per kg of seed and still be much cheaper than nitrogen fertilizer, which has gotten quite expensive. It’s fantastic news, if they can make a successful product. Cheaper, greener, less pollution. What’s not to like?

Didn’t the last bloke who made a breakthrough in this area win a Nobel prize, er, he was called Haber something? Ended up feeding billions for decades later, and even to today, although he wasn’t a perfect gent (worked on chemical weapons like chlorine gas WW1, later his work funded by the nazis).

But this new invention could actually have me tackling my overgrown garden for cultivating fresh fruit and veg! (That would be no mean feat).

Truly a game changing breakthrough. Not just for food production but also the benefit to the environment from reducing or even nullifying pollution from fertilizer runoff. I wonder how the fertilizer industry is taking this? They would have a HUGE stake in disproving this technology’s effectiveness.

This is astounding. If these bacteria can be symbiotically linked with seeds in bulk situations, it will be revolutionary. I sincerely hope this biotechnology, the expertise, processes and bacterial cultures will be provided to farmers in poor nations at no cost.

Those who make synthetic nitrogen fertilizer need to consider applying their capital and expertise to biotech, or their investors need to divest and then invest in biotech companies.

The real key in this is the fact that they figured out, through 12 years of effort, to successfully get these bacteria inside the cells and have them survive and function as desired.

Now that has been accomplished, biotechnology can locate or modify bacteria to perform other beneficial symbiotic tasks in plant cells, such as help fight against viruses and other bacteria, act as energy producers, similar to mitochondria, protect the cells from pollution, so much more.